Most of the people on Big Corn Island, Nicaragua speak English Creole. This language is very interesting. Because English Creole is derived from the english language, we can speak to and understand the Island natives (my aunt knows this creole so thats also helps). Though the English Creole language may just sound like English with a thick accent, it is very different than standard English.
There are many different types of creole languages, but here on the island, it is just English Creole. English Creole is very neat to listen to, it sounds like English with a heavy Jamaican accent. It sounds a lot like english, but on paper it is extremely different. Many argue that it isn't a different language, just a version of English, but anyone that has seen the vocabulary, grammatical structure, and anything else can see that English Creole is its own language.
Everything we do and hear and see on this island is a learning experience. We are gaining so much knowledge about the people, languages, and island itself. The longer we stay the less we want to end our trip, but we are very excited to make the most of our time here,
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Jelly Fish In Big Corn Island, Nicaragua
Like I mentioned in my last post, we are frequently in the waters around the island. Being in and around the water so much, we see a lot of beautiful marine life. We also get to have some up close interaction with the plants and animals living in the water (sometimes it's cute, but more often than not we'd prefer to keep our distance). This especially applies to the jelly fish that can't seem to leave us alone.
Jellyfish can range from about one millimeter in bell height to nearly two meters in bell height. Luckily, the jellyfish we keep running into aren't very big or powerful, but their stings do hurt for quite some time. Jellyfish's stinging tentacles are usually used to capture their prey or ward off any threats. Most species of jellyfish live in salt water, but their has been a few rare jellies that live in fresh water.
Though being stung wasn't on my to-do list when we got here, it has been made a funny story and experience. We are having many things happen to us here, not all pleasant at the time, but fun to recount. We can't wait to experience more interesting things like this and participate in more adventures.
Coral Reefs in Big Corn Island, Nicaragua
We have done a lot since arriving on the island inly a week ago. A regular for us though is swimming in the beautiful oceans here. After every day we like to go to the beach before sunset and cool off. The water is absolutely beautiful. It's clear and warm and has so much plant and animal life living in it. A spot we love to go to has gorgeous reefs that you can snorkel over and see the fish and coral.
The coral reef is present around both Corn Islands. It provides shelter to many different kinds of marine life. Reefs are located in shallow, warm waters which makes them easy to spot when snorkeling, but also means they are easily susceptible to storms and human activity. Some parts of the reef have been damaged but others are still very healthy and beautiful. The different types of coral you can see here are brain coral, which looks like its name, staghorn coral, which looks like the antlers on a deer, and pillar coral, which also looks like its name. One interesting thing we learned is that coral is actually an animal and not a plant.
The oceans surrounding Big Corn Island are absolutely gorgeous. We are learning a lot about the plants and animals that inhabit the water. We also are really getting the feel of what it is like to live in a country like Nicaragua and live like the Nicaraguans do. The experiences we are having are breathtaking and we can't wait to have many more adventures.
The coral reef is present around both Corn Islands. It provides shelter to many different kinds of marine life. Reefs are located in shallow, warm waters which makes them easy to spot when snorkeling, but also means they are easily susceptible to storms and human activity. Some parts of the reef have been damaged but others are still very healthy and beautiful. The different types of coral you can see here are brain coral, which looks like its name, staghorn coral, which looks like the antlers on a deer, and pillar coral, which also looks like its name. One interesting thing we learned is that coral is actually an animal and not a plant.
The oceans surrounding Big Corn Island are absolutely gorgeous. We are learning a lot about the plants and animals that inhabit the water. We also are really getting the feel of what it is like to live in a country like Nicaragua and live like the Nicaraguans do. The experiences we are having are breathtaking and we can't wait to have many more adventures.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Big Corn Island, Nicaragua
We have made it to our final destination. Our time spent in Costa Rica was a dream, now we are in Big Corn Island, Nicaragua and hope to have just as much fun as we did further down South. So far, the island looks very promising. It is so beautiful and absolutely lovely to be able to stay with my aunt who lives on the island. We are learning a lot from her about the way things work here, what the people are like, and what the island itself is like.
Big Corn Island is about 43 miles east of the Caribbean cost of Nicaragua. Big Corn Island is really not so big. It has an area of about 3.9 square miles. Little Corn only has an area of about one square mile. The highest elevation on Big Corn is a hill called Mount Pleasant Hill which is about 371 ft tall. Though relatively short, it is a great look out point.
We plan on doing a lot more sight seeing soon, as it is only our second day here. The island is beautiful and we will hopefully be traveling to Little Corn as well. We are learning a lot about the different cultures and ways of the people and we can't wait to see more.
Big Corn Island is about 43 miles east of the Caribbean cost of Nicaragua. Big Corn Island is really not so big. It has an area of about 3.9 square miles. Little Corn only has an area of about one square mile. The highest elevation on Big Corn is a hill called Mount Pleasant Hill which is about 371 ft tall. Though relatively short, it is a great look out point.
We plan on doing a lot more sight seeing soon, as it is only our second day here. The island is beautiful and we will hopefully be traveling to Little Corn as well. We are learning a lot about the different cultures and ways of the people and we can't wait to see more.
Geckos in Big Corn Island, Nicaragua
One thing we haven't been able to shake, from Costa Rica to Nicaragua, isn't the calming sound of the ocean, or the exotic roar of the howler monkeys, or even the interesting sound of humming birds perched outside your window. No, what we haven't been able to escape from for the weeks we've been in Central America, is the quiet laughter you hear while taking a shower, or eating a meal, or trying to fall asleep. The one thing that has constantly been around is the small but startling sound of geckos.
Geckos are lizards that live in warm climates all over the globe. They are very unique creatures due to their strange vocalizations. They use chirping sounds in order to communicate with other geckos. (so they aren't laughing at you in your sleep, even if it does sound like it) Geckos can range from 1.6 to 60 centimeters long depending on the species. One interesting thing about geckos is that they don't blink, they often just lick their eyes to keep them moist and clean. Though it may sound like these small creatures have been plaguing me, they're actually quite helpful seeing as they eat all the bugs you don't want in the house, and they might be pretty cute when they aren't laughing at you.
We have seen and interacted with many different animals, but the geckos are definitely one of my favorite. The longer we stay down south, the more wildlife we are able to see and learn about. We look forward each day to seeing new interesting creatures.
Geckos are lizards that live in warm climates all over the globe. They are very unique creatures due to their strange vocalizations. They use chirping sounds in order to communicate with other geckos. (so they aren't laughing at you in your sleep, even if it does sound like it) Geckos can range from 1.6 to 60 centimeters long depending on the species. One interesting thing about geckos is that they don't blink, they often just lick their eyes to keep them moist and clean. Though it may sound like these small creatures have been plaguing me, they're actually quite helpful seeing as they eat all the bugs you don't want in the house, and they might be pretty cute when they aren't laughing at you.
We have seen and interacted with many different animals, but the geckos are definitely one of my favorite. The longer we stay down south, the more wildlife we are able to see and learn about. We look forward each day to seeing new interesting creatures.
Palm Oil Trees On the Way to Nicaragua
On our way to Managua, Nicaragua, we drove by (that's right, drove. As in drove for 12 hours across Costa Rica to Nicaragus) many interesting sights like beautiful waterfalls and lush jungles. One of the more memorable things we saw though, was the acres upon acres of palm oil trees.
Palm oil is an edible oil made form the fruit of oil palms. Along with coconut oil, palm oil is on of the few high saturated vegetable fats. Palm oil has been a common cooking ingredient, but is being widely replaced by coconut oil. Palm oil became sought after during Britian's industrial revolution to be used as a machine lubricant. Today, its not usually used for machines but for more basic things like cooking. Though palm oil is still being produced and distributed, it is suspected that coconut oil will soon replace the more expensive, harmful to the environment, palm oil.
Traveling through the countries, we are able to see many different plants and animals and people that we like to learn about whenever possible. We are constantly researching the new things we see and experience to get a better understanding of what Nicaragua and Costa Rica are truly like. We have learned so much so far and can't wait to see more of these countries' people, agriculture, and wildlife.
Palm oil is an edible oil made form the fruit of oil palms. Along with coconut oil, palm oil is on of the few high saturated vegetable fats. Palm oil has been a common cooking ingredient, but is being widely replaced by coconut oil. Palm oil became sought after during Britian's industrial revolution to be used as a machine lubricant. Today, its not usually used for machines but for more basic things like cooking. Though palm oil is still being produced and distributed, it is suspected that coconut oil will soon replace the more expensive, harmful to the environment, palm oil.
Traveling through the countries, we are able to see many different plants and animals and people that we like to learn about whenever possible. We are constantly researching the new things we see and experience to get a better understanding of what Nicaragua and Costa Rica are truly like. We have learned so much so far and can't wait to see more of these countries' people, agriculture, and wildlife.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Manuel Antonio National Park
We visited the Manuel Antonio National Park while we were traveling near Quepos, Costa Rica. It was very fun hiking through its trails and seeing the hidden wildlife. While there, we went to a beautiful beach and met and talked with some native Costa Ricans.
The Manuel Antonio National Park is a small national park in the Central Pacific Concentration. The park was established in 1972 with a land area of 1,983ha. Though small, it attracts about 150,00 people annually. It has been listed among 12 of the world's most beautiful national parks. The park has four beaches. It has 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds.
The Manuel Antonio National Park is truly a wonderful park and most definitely deserves its spot listed amongst the world's most beautiful national parks. I hope to visit again one day, until then, we will continue our trip up north to Nicaragua to find many more beautiful landscapes and creatures there.
The Manuel Antonio National Park is a small national park in the Central Pacific Concentration. The park was established in 1972 with a land area of 1,983ha. Though small, it attracts about 150,00 people annually. It has been listed among 12 of the world's most beautiful national parks. The park has four beaches. It has 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds.
The Manuel Antonio National Park is truly a wonderful park and most definitely deserves its spot listed amongst the world's most beautiful national parks. I hope to visit again one day, until then, we will continue our trip up north to Nicaragua to find many more beautiful landscapes and creatures there.
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